Rescue Pet of the Week 12/13/13

Ash is a sweet lop-eared rabbit who looks to be young, in good condition, and is fairly easy to handle (but a little timid when you go to pick her up).A rabbit’s life expectancy is between 8 and 10 years. However, this depends on whether the rabbit has been neutered. Getting a rabbit neutered not only increases the rabbit’s life expectancy but it also reduces the number of unwanted rabbits.

Rabbits should be kept indoors and away from drafts. Rabbits require time outside of their cages to run around and investigate their surroundings. When your rabbit is outside its cage running around in your house, check to be certain that it is safe. For instance, be sure there are no electrical wires on which the rabbit can chew. Also, do not allow your rabbit to run around your house unattended especially if you have larger animals in the house or young children in your household.

Do not use cedar and pine shavings as bedding for your rabbit. These can be harmful to a rabbit’s respiratory system. Some recommended commercial bedding material to use is Carefresh or Yesterday’s News. Rabbits can be litter-trained providing the litter tray is the correct size for the rabbit. It is not a good idea to keep a rabbit on a wire bottom cage as this can harm the rabbit’s feet and allow its nails to grow unchecked.

Rabbits require plenty of hay. Hay is the most important food source that should be found in a rabbit cage. Timothy Hay or Grass Hay are best for an adult rabbit. Alfalfa Hay is better for a younger rabbit. Adult rabbits should be given a limited amount of plain rabbit pellets (i.e. pellets made from Timothy Hay and contain no seeds, nuts, corn or dried fruit, etc.) while rabbits under a year old can have an unlimited amount of pellet food made from either alfalfa or Timothy Hay.

Vegetables are an important part of a rabbit ‘s diet and should be given every day in small quantities. Vegetables to feed include romaine lettuce, carrots with tops, parsley, kale, cilantro and endive. As the owner of a rabbit, you are responsible for its care throughout its lifetime.